‘Dead’ premature baby is alive

Infant's sister noticed that body was moving during funeral preparation

A 22-week-old premature baby was declared dead by doctors at New Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday. But as the family prepared for the funeral, they discovered to their amazement that the infant was very much alive, according to media reports.

The child’s father, Rohit, was quoted as saying,”The doctor and the nursing staff declared the baby dead and sealed the body in a pack, labeled it and handed it over to us for burial.”

The mother remained at the hospital while Rohit carried the baby home and began preparing for his funeral. PTI reported that when Rohit’s daughter felt some movement in the pack, they opened it to find the infant breathing and moving his limbs.

The baby was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital’s Emergency Department and is being treated. Meanwhile, the hospital officials have initiated a probe into the incident.

The Business Standard quoted Pratima Mittal, head of Safdarjung Hospital’s gynaecology and obstetrics department, as saying: “I will call it a second trimester abortion as the woman was already five months pregnant and there is an international rule stating that there should be no attempt to revive a premature baby found dead and having a weight below 500 grams. The doctors followed the norm and did not attempt to revive him.”